‘From an early age, I was always intrigued by other people’s homes. Residential design is what really excited us both – neither of us have ever entertained the idea of any other career,’ says Venetia Rudebeck, who founded Notting Hill-based Studio Vero in 2014 with Romanos Brihi.
In many ways, theirs is a natural partnership – both come from art-loving families, and possess a deep appreciation of culture and travel, and both are interior-design graduates from the KLC School of Design in Chelsea. Brihi started at property developer Finchatton and is an enthusiastic art collector (as well as a patron of the Serpentine and the Design Museum), while Rudebeck began her career in hotel design before moving into residential work.
Today, their projects reveal a knack for unexpected colour combinations and artistic touches. ‘As a studio, we produce thoughtfully layered interiors that feel as effortless as they are refined,’ says Brihi. ‘Antiques and art often feature prominently, but the goal is never to impose a single aesthetic. We might design one space that’s richly expressive and colour-led, and another that’s more pared-back and serene – what connects them all is a quiet confidence and a sensitivity to texture, proportion and composition.’
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What are their recent projects?
A four-bedroom townhouse in Notting Hill’s Chepstow Crescent exemplifies their bold style. Designed for a client who loves entertaining – and the colour pink – it had to be ‘inviting, playful and comfortable’. They filled the home with bespoke and mid-century furniture, antiques and curated art. ‘We love using pink and chose Edward Bulmer’s ‘Jonquil’ for the entrance hall, paired with Farrow & Ball’s ‘Brinjal’, a rich shade of aubergine, to give it a grown-up feel,’ explains Rudebeck. ‘The combination sets a confident tone that runs throughout the house.’ The kitchen features mustard-yellow cabinetry, chequerboard flooring and Balineum tiles in blue, green and plum.
In Holland Park, the studio has reimagined a stripped-back Edwardian flat as a layered, art-filled home, inspired by European apartments. ‘We opened up the layout with arched transitions between rooms, adding a light-oak herringbone floor, warm neutrals, colourful accents and rich textures,’ says Brihi. Each detail reflects the owner’s love of art and their personal history, with rare vintage items such as a 1962 Ico Parisi desk and quirky artworks by Man Ray and Theo Bardsley. Refined finishes include rattan lighting in the breakfast room and silk walls in the main bedroom. ‘We have an affinity for natural materials like warm timber, brass, marble, wool and linen – they all bring a sense of tactility and grounding to an interior,’ says Rudebeck.
What are they currently working on?
While Studio Vero designs homes across Europe and the US, as well as in the British countryside, it is currently focusing on its strong client base in London, with several projects on the go around the capital. These include spacious apartments in Knightsbridge and Chelsea Barracks, as well as a Primrose Hill townhouse and a sustainably built family home in Brook Green.
They say: ‘We’re trying to give our clients something original and different. In the world of Instagram, we get clients saying, “I saw this, and I like this”. But so did two million other people. That’s where antiques and vintage pieces come in.’ studio-vero.com
Expert advice
Studio Vero share tips on how to be creative with pattern and colour
Applying colour to woodwork is a wonderful way to bring interest to a room, especially on skirting and cornicing, which frames the walls in an impactful way. Experiment with interesting pairings – you’ll notice how different a wall colour looks when not combined with traditional white woodwork.
Pale colours can be just as expressive as bold ones. They provide space to breathe and reflect, while still carrying nuance and depth. The key is to layer texture and contrast. Pale tones come alive when combined with deeper hues – think soft blues with rich burgundy, or earth-toned walls with dark timber joinery.
When mixing patterns, we recommend anchoring the space with one or two neutral elements, such as a plain linen or bouclé on a sofa or armchair, to create structure. Limit your palette to around five or six tones, vary the scale of your prints, and contrast different textures to keep things balanced.
Pull colours directly from artworks and use them as the basis for a room’s palette. In the drawing room of our Holland Park project, we kept the colours mainly neutral to allow Bathers at the Marshes by Theo Bardsley to shine – it has this vivid blue element, which inspired us to include a vintage Ignazio Gardella bench with upholstery in the same shade.
